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Title: Liberty Arsenal
Description: An undated illustration of the United States Arsenal located in Liberty, Clay County, Missouri. This is illustration is found on page 140 of "Clay County, Missouri centennial souvenir, 1822-1922".
Object Type: Image
Date: n.d.

Title: From James H. Moss to A.W. Doniphan
Description: On October 3, 1863, James H. Moss writes from Liberty, Missouri to Col. A.W. Doniphan. Moss describes his recent efforts to restore order in Clay and Platte Counties, Missouri by raising a local military force. He writes that the newspapers have been publishing "reckless" lies about his activities, and urges Doniphan not to believe what he reads. Moss asks Doniphan to explain the situation to Gov. Gamble, adding, "We have had perfect quiet in Clay and Platte for five days and nights past."
Date: October 3, 1863

Title: From J.C. Iserman to Brother William
Description: J.C. Iserman writes a letter from Independence, Missouri to his brother William on September 21, 1861. He tells William that he is surrounded by danger. He mentions the Battle of Liberty and the First Battle of Lexington, and says he can hear "cannons booming on all sides." He also writes about his desire to leave Missouri, complaining that "the Secessionist are stealing all the horses and cattle from the Unions and the Jayhawkers from Kansas are retaliating. Times are very hard."
Date: September 21, 1861

Title: Ely Hall
Description: Sketch of Ely Hall on the campus of William Jewell College from "History of William Jewell College: Liberty, Clay County, Missouri" by William Jewell College and James Gregory Clark.
Object Type: Image
Date: 1893

Title: From Lucie Davis to John Pigg
Description: This letter, dated September 15, 1864, is from Lucie Davis in Clay County, Missouri to John Pigg. Davis tells Pigg that her mother died after a long illness. She also tells him that Louis Vandiver was moved from a prison in St. Joseph, Missouri to one in St. Louis. Davis predicts that “The bushwhackers are about to take this country,” and adds that they robbed the mail in Clay County and had a fight near Fredericksburg.
Date: September 15, 1864

Title: From Unknown to A. Comingo
Description: In this letter to A. Comingo, sent December 3, 1863 from Harrodsburg, the writer asks Comingo to send several items he left in Independence, Missouri to Lexington, Kentucky. The writer says that since "all is now quiet at Independence--and…there are no [soldiers] there," Comingo should be able to send the articles he requests.
Date: December 3, 1863

Title: From W.A. King to A. Comingo
Description: This letter, dated November 9, 1863, is from W.A. King in Liberty, Missouri to Capt. A. Comingo, Provost Marshal of the 6th district of Missouri. King states that he obeyed a military commander's orders to publish a notice urging all citizens to enlist. He reports to Comingo the expenses he paid for printing and requests reimbursement.
Date: November 9, 1863

Title: From "C." to "Col."
Description: This letter, dated September 21, 1861, is from "C." in St. Joseph, Missouri to "Col." C. reports that the Federal troops surrendered at the Battle of Lexington on September 20. He writes that "our country has been rob[b]ed by both parties . . . nearly evry body that is worth any thing has been rob[b]ed more or less, no matter what their politics are." He adds that people are "bitter" about the Platte Purchase, and predicts that fighting will ensue.
Date: September 21, 1861

Title: From S.H. Holmes to A. Comingo
Description: This letter, dated December 21, 1863, is from S.H. Holmes in Liberty, Missouri to Capt. A. Comingo, Provost Marshal of the 6th district of Missouri. Holmes reports that he arrested a deserter and turned him over to Col. Moss. Holmes asks Comingo to give him the authority to make arrests, claiming that otherwise "it will be next to impossible for me to discharge my duties as an officer of my Government."
Date: December 21, 1863

Title: Diary of the Official Activities of the District Provost Marshal (6th District Missouri)
Description: This notebook documents the official activities of A. Comingo, District Provost Marshal, 6th District of Missouri, between July 1863 and April 1865. Included in the journal are records of appointments and meetings attended by Comingo, his daily activities running the office, and a report of vouchers issued and paid for using his "individual funds."
Date: July 1863-April 1865

Title: From Frederick Starr to My Dear Father
Description: On March 19, 1855, Frederick Starr writes from Weston, Missouri to his father. Starr transcribes a recent article from the local newspaper “Liberty Platform,” in which he is accused of being a “political priest” in charge of a “gang” of abolitionists. Starr believes the article makes unjust and false statements about him, but admits “it may be the impression which has fixed itself upon the minds of the fire eating part of the community. If so I would not have it otherwise.” The article also describes the nomination of Gen. Whitfield as the Kansas Territory delegate to Congress.
Date: March 19, 1855

Title: Nebraska and Kansas
Description: This color map, entitled “Nebraska and Kansas,” shows those two territories, the territory acquired from Mexico in 1854, and a small map of the continental United States. The map was published in 1854 by J.H. Colton and Co. in New York.
Object Type: Map
Date: 1854

Title: From W.L. Wood to W.P. Howard
Description: This letter, dated July 19, 1861, is from W.L. Wood in Liberty Landing, Missouri to Col. W.P. Howard in St. Louis. Wood informs Howard that he went to Lexington, Missouri with state troops and planned to travel farther south, but "did not precisely understand" Gov. Claiborne Fox Jackson's intentions. He expresses ambivalence about Jackson, but supports his stance against Lincoln, and declares that he wants "to see Lincoln's troops whipped."
Date: July 19, 1861

Title: From S.H. Holmes to A. Comingo
Description: This letter, dated December 19, 1863, is from S.H. Holmes in Liberty, Missouri to Capt. A. Comingo, Provost Marshal of the 6th district of Missouri. Holmes requests the authority to remove from conscription rolls the names of anyone physically unsuitable for military service.
Date: December 19, 1863

Title: From James H. Moss to W.P. Hall
Description: On September 27, 1863, Col. James H. Moss writes from Platte City, Missouri to W.P. Hall. Moss states that he is organizing companies of Platte County citizens to defend against threatened raids from Kansas. He says that the day before, a group of "desperate outlaws from Kansas" came to Missouri and were soon joined by Col. Joseph A. Price and "all the radical element in Platte." In a statement written on the back of the letter, Hall notes that he referred the letter to Gov. Gamble, recommending that Col. Price be removed from his office.
Date: September 27, 1863

Title: General Orders, No. 38
Description: Maj. Gen. Samuel Curtis issued General Order No. 38 from the Department of the Missouri Headquarters in St. Louis on May 22, 1863. The order details the proceedings of recent Military Commissions in St. Joseph, St. Louis, and Springfield, Missouri, where citizens were tried for war crimes, including consorting with guerrillas and bushwhackers, killing United States soldiers from the Seventh Cavalry Regiment Missouri Volunteers, and encouraging rebellion against the government. The order was signed by Assistant Adjutant General A.V. Colburn.
Date: May 22, 1863

Title: From Thomas Fletcher to R.T. Van Horn
Description: This dispatch, dated October 20, 1866, is from Thomas Fletcher in Jefferson City, Missouri to Hon. R.T. Van Horn. Fletcher reports that his plans concerning troop movements within Missouri have changed. He had originally planned to send troops to Platte, Clay, Carroll, Ray, and Chariton counties, but is now occupied with political concerns: "The ablest men in the Conservative Party are detailed to the duty of getting up a disturbance between Genls Sherman[,] Hancock & myself, and it keeps me busy & watchful to prevent them making us trouble."
Date: October 20, 1866

Title: Diary of Jonathan B. Fuller
Description: This is an excerpt from the diary of Rev. Jonathan B. Fuller. Fuller, a pastor in Kansas City, Missouri, writes about visiting military hospitals, leading prayer meetings for soldiers, and hearing the sounds of muskets in nearby skirmishes. His diary entries, dated June 4, 1864 - June 25, 1865, also describe the Battle of Westport, and mention the movements of Gen. Price and Col. Jennison, and the assassination of President Lincoln.
Object Type: Diary
Date: June 4, 1864-June 25, 1865

Title: From Jonathan B. Fuller to Dear Father
Description: On June 13, 1864, Jonathan B. Fuller writes from Kansas City, Missouri to his father. Fuller discusses church activities and says that there are probably a few bushwhackers in the area. "Patrols are out every night," he writes, "but the object of them seems more to prevent smuggling ammunition & supplies out of town to the guerrillas than to guard against any attack." Fuller adds that he is to give an address at William Jewell College.
Date: June 13, 1864

Title: From Calvin Iserman to Brother William
Description: This letter, ca. April 1861, was sent by Calvin Iserman in Independence, Missouri, to his brother William. Calvin writes that Independence “is the strongest secession town” in Missouri. He writes that men from Independence “seized the State Arsenal” at Liberty, and Lincoln has ordered federal troops to retake it. Calvin declares that all Union supporters “who can get away” are leaving the area. The letter includes a brief note addressed to “sister Gusta,” presumably written by Calvin's wife.

Civil War on the Western Border: The Missouri-Kansas Conflict, 1854-1865

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